Generally speaking, mechanical and electrical scales are used for various purposes in modern economic practices. For example, scales can be used to measure the weight of foods (e.g., meats, fruits, vegetables, etc.) at grocery stores and delicatessens. Scales are also used at airports to weigh baggage and at transportation and logistics businesses for weighing packages to be shipped. Normally, these types of scales may be used to accurately measure the weight of various objects to determine a cost to a customer.
Occasionally, however, some businesses do not require that a weight calculation is precise, but only that a weight falls within a certain range or is greater than or less than a certain threshold. For example, an airline may require that each piece of luggage is less than 50 pounds. In these cases, an estimation of the weight may suffice.
Also, some businesses may base a calculation of the cost to transport an object on the greater of a scale weight and a “dimensional weight,” i.e. the volume of the object multiplied by a density factor. Since it is only necessary to determine whether the scale weight is above the dimensional volumetric weight, an estimation of weight may suffice in this scenario as well. For estimating weight, less expensive equipment can be used which may also require less space.
Therefore, a need exists for alternative systems and methods for calculating weight. Particularly, there is a need for weight calculation equipment that is more cost effective and takes up less space than typical scales in use today.